


You're My Land Ahoy

by batmanmonroe



Category: Revolution (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Homophobia, M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-02 07:42:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2804813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/batmanmonroe/pseuds/batmanmonroe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the rest of Tom Neville's pirate crew finds out about the relationship between Miles and Bass, they put them through hell on earth.  But one day, they'll be happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're My Land Ahoy

**Author's Note:**

> Content warning for homophobia, crappy attitudes about religion, and using religion to justify crappy attitudes.

The whip cracked loudly as it shredded the skin of Miles’ back. He gritted his teeth, hard, not wanting to give the crowd of leering pirates surrounding him the satisfaction of seeing him in pain. The boatswain, a vile man by the name of Strausser, enjoyed holding the whip far too much as it was

Strausser had decided on twenty lashes for today. This made, what, fifteen? He grunted as the sixteenth rained down on him. He wished Sebastian would stop screaming. It only made the rest of the crew of the _Seas Incarnadine_ laugh harder.

Not that Miles regretted it. He’d taste Strausser’s cat-of-nines every moment for the rest of his life if it meant Bass didn’t have to. And that was the problem, wasn’t it? Miles loved Sebastian, and Sebastian loved Miles, and the crew took every opportunity to mock the two men for what they saw as a sin. And this, the constant torment and the open ridicule, was without Captain Neville knowing.

Finally, the twentieth blow tore through the mass of scabs and scars that was Miles’ back. Strausser kicked him into the grating, then turned away. “We’ll see each other again tomorrow, Matheson,” he said, his sickly sweet voice promising nothing good. Faber and Slotnick shoved Bass forward, taking care to tread on him as they went about their work.

Bass coughed and dragged himself forward, reaching for Miles’ bonds. “Just another day in paradise, huh?”, he quipped, loosening his lover’s ankles first. He swayed when he tried to stand, and had to grip the grating, but he managed to free Miles’ wrists. Eventually. “You all right?”

“Peachy,” Miles rasped. He shrugged off Bass’s attempts at helping him below deck. 

They arrived in the crews’ quarters only to find Miles’ bunk overturned. They were used to it. Bass sat down on the bottom hammock while Miles lay with his torso and head in the other man’s lap. The cracked bowl of seawater he kept under their bunks and a few dirty bandages they’d managed to steal sat beside them, held steady by Miles’ big hands.

Miles hissed as the salt water stung his wounds. “Sorry,” Bass whispered, holding one of the bandages, wet and bunched up in his hand. They both knew that seawater was the only choice they had to clean his wounds. Bass would sooner throw himself to the sharks than let Miles die of an infection. 

“What are we doing here, Bass?” Miles sighed. They asked themselves the same question every waking moment. They’d signed on with Captain Neville, an infamous privateer for the King, for a little extra money to send home to Miles’ brother, and for the adventure of it. They didn’t count on being made the favorite playthings of a bunch of homophobic sadists, or sailing under a man who would turn a blind eye to all of it. Hell, Neville was a godly man. If he found out about them, they were done for.

“Can’t back out now. We’re in the middle of nowhere,” Bass said bitterly, still tenderly caressing the planes of Miles’ back with the rag. “What’s so wrong about what we’re doing? If I were a girl, following you all over the seven seas out of love—“

“You’d have been gangraped. And then shot,” Miles supplied.

“Yeah, but they’d also write romance novels about us. We wouldn’t be treated like this. Treated like we’re dirty, or less, or…” He trailed off, bowing his head. The threat of tears shook Bass’s whole body. Miles lifted his head.

“Hey,” he whispered, brown eyes locking onto ocean blue. “Stop that right now. There’s nothing dirty, or wrong, or any of that bullshit about what we’re doing. Just because they think an invisible man in the sky doesn’t like it or what the hell ever, that doesn’t change a damn thing. I love you, Sebastian Monroe. And that is the only thing you ever have to worry about. You hear me?”

Bass sighed deeply and pressed a kiss to Miles’ dark hair. “I just wish we didn’t have to be hurt. Or scared. I just want you.”

“You have me,” Miles answered. “Always. Not going anywhere, Bass. Not ever. And next time we make port, I swear, we’re never coming back to this hellhole. Neville can shove his self-righteousness up his ass. We’re gonna find somewhere we can be happy.”

Bass smiled a little and finished tying off Miles’ bandages. “Promise?”

Miles snuggled down into his lover’s lap. “I promise.”

\--

“Amen!” Neville roared over the howling wind and rushing rain. It was well past midnight, but if all hands weren’t on deck, the _Seas Incarnadine_ was bound to sink. “Heave to! Reef those sails! The Good Lord didn’t send us this far just to sink us now!”

“You think he hears himself?” Miles asked, eyes crinkled with mirth, under the curtain of dripping dark hair. Bass huffed a quiet laugh, but his eyes remained fixed on the sails. 

“Miles,” he said, the words lost to the wind. They had an unspoken agreement not to talk too much in front of Neville. The crew was horrible enough.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Miles huffed. Just another week until they made port. Just one more week.

“Matheson! Monroe! Quit running your mouths! Drop that canvas!” Neville snarled. 

Strausser snorted with suppressed laughter, but said nothing. How could he when the ship pitched as hard as it did? Water cascaded over the rails and knocked many of the men off their feet. Miles went skidding helplessly towards the hatchway.

“Miles!” cried Bass, diving for his lover. He seized his hand just before he fell off the deck, pulling him back to safety. “You okay?” he asked hoarsely. His blue eyes were wild with panic, and he kept clinging to Miles’ hands, terrified to let go. 

“Yeah,” Miles replied. “Yeah, I’m fine, Bass. I’m here. I’m here.” Bass helped Miles get back to his feet, but his arms lingered a split second too long around the other man’s torso.

Neville saw.

“Not that this isn’t touching,” the captain drawled. His black eyes flashed in a way that had nothing to do with the lightning searing the darkness. “But I think I just found out why God’s tormenting us so close to our port. He’s punishing us for _your_ abomination.” Bass flinched and inched closer to Miles, who was glaring right back at Neville. “Lucky for us, there’s an easy solution to that.”

“With all due respect, Captain,” Miles sneered, as two brawny pirates stepped away from a sail that they’d managed to drop. “I think you’re already going to hell.”

Neville’s face contorted with rage, and he rounded on the men cuffing Miles and Sebastian. “Lock them in the brig.”

\--

“So… now what?” Bass asked grimly. The two sat across from each other, in separate cells in the hold, but their hands stuck through the bars, Miles big fingers wrapped tightly around Bass’s slender ones. There was still water inside from the storm that had broken several hours ago. It had to be past sundown.

“Well. Neville thinks we’re abominations cursing the ship, plus I mouthed off to him, so I’d say we’re probably screwed,” Miles said lightly.

Bass shuddered and squeezed Miles’ hand. “Guess we should have been more careful. If we hadn’t kissed or touched or anything until we got to port, until we can be alone—“

“If you think I could keep my hands off you that long, you’ve got another thing coming. I’m not gonna lie for these people. Besides, we can’t take it back. So if I’ve got to die because I love you, fine.”

“I just wish things could have been different.”

Miles leaned up to the bars, doing his best to press his lips against Bass’s knuckles. “Maybe in another life they will be. Remember when I promised we were gonna go far away?”

Bass smiled a little. “Yeah.”

“That’s all this is. All right?”

“Thought you didn’t believe in God or heaven.”

“Did I say heaven? I said someplace better. But it doesn’t matter what it is. We’re gonna go together.” Bass’s smile could have lit up the whole brig, but it faded instantly when the heavy door opened. Both of them were expecting Strausser, but it was the first mate, Neville’s son, who stepped through.

The younger Neville looked grave as he opened Bass’s cell. “The captain wants both of you above deck,” he said. His tone said he’d rather be doing anything else but tying Sebastian’s hands behind him. That didn’t stop him from doing it, nor did it deter him from repeating the motion for Miles.

“Showtime,” Miles quipped, as the first mate marched them up to the too-bright sunlight.

Bass and Miles kept their eyes proudly forward, doing their best to ignore the jeers and laughter coming from their former shipmates. Neville was waiting for them at the edge of the deck, right in front of the plank. “Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?” he quoted.

“Please shut up,” Miles groaned. “Seriously, you’re running a pirate ship. You’ve got no right to preach about wrongdoing.”

“Miles. Stop it,” hissed Bass.

“I don’t need to explain myself to you,” Neville said sourly. “And frankly, I don’t want to hear you two explaining yourselves to me.”

“Damn. I was really hoping to see the look on your face when Bass and I went into detail about everything we were doing in the brig.”

Neville didn’t answer that. He waved a hand, and the pirates shoved Bass back onto the plank. Miles’ face went white. “Any last words, Monroe? I mean, since your boyfriend here’s getting so mouthy. You might as well get a word in edgewise.”

Bass swallowed hard, then looked Miles dead in the eye. “I love you,” he said, loudly and clearly. Neville looked like he might be sick, and most of the crew laughed, but Bass’s expression was still stoic and proud. “Miles Matheson, I love you.” And Strausser stomped on the plank, sending Bass plummeting into the water below.

Miles cried out, staring down in horror at the place the man he loved had been. He knew it was coming, but it was another thing entirely to have to watch. The crew shoved him forward, and now he was the one balancing precariously on the edge of the plank.

“Now, I’m sure you’ve got some last words,” Neville said, his tone bored. “Get it over with, Matheson.”

The slight shake to Miles’ voice was more anger than grief. “I just wanted to say, I’m sorry you’re jealous.”

“What?”

Miles’ lips twisted in a bitter smirk. “I mean, I got to bang Bass whenever we were on shore. But the only person you’re ever gonna go fuck is yourself.” And, while the crew stood stunned by his audacity, he dove into the ocean under his own power.

\--

The younger Neville hadn’t tied Miles’ ropes well. They slipped off with just a little bit of wriggling, letting Miles dive to the bottom where Bass lay, unconscious. He wrapped his arms around the other man, hoping to whatever was listening that he wasn’t too late. His lungs burned, entirely too much water lay between them and the air, Bass had been under for too long already….

Miles choked and spluttered as air finally rushed back into his lungs. He wasted no time in pressing his lips to Bass’, alternating between breathing air into his mouth and desperately kissing him. All the while, the arm not lashed around his lovers’ waist treaded water, because dammit, he was going to give staying alive everything he had.

Bass’s eyes fluttered open after what could have been seconds or hours. “Miles?” he rasped.

“Don’t talk. I’ve gotta focus.” But the relief was clear in his eyes, even if they weren’t safe yet. Bass was alive, for now, and that meant there was still a chance, however small, that they could get out of this.

Miles swam until his muscles felt like they would give out. Bass’s whispers for him to let him go went ignored- they both knew there was no way in hell Miles would ever let Bass drown. After several hours, Miles spied a rock just barely protruding from the waves. Good enough. He flung himself on the rockface and slid his arms around his lover.

“Now we wait?” Bass mumbled.

“Now we wait,” Miles agreed, fumbling with the knots around Bass’s hands. “Either somebody’ll save us or we’ll die here. Whichever comes first.”

“I think I know which it’s gonna be,” Bass said gloomily, pressing his face into Miles shoulder. He embraced the other man the moment his hands were free. They laid there, barely moving to conserve energy, for three whole days. They fully expected to die, but at least they’d die together, away from Neville and his thugs.

As the fourth sun rose, white sails billowed in the distance. Miles mistook it for a mirage at first, then shoved Bass awake and splashed into the water, swimming towards the ship. It was smaller than the _Seas Incarnadine_ , and much more ornate, though the gilt on the railings and the figurehead was badly peeling.

The men aboard threw a line out to sea, and a voice shouted “Ahoy!” as if the stranded sailors hadn’t noticed their salvation. Miles seized the rope, and Bass clung to Miles’ waist.

The new ship’s crew hauled them up over the side, and they both collapsed in a heap on the deck. A stocky man with wind-swept blonde hair and bright, friendly gray eyes stood over them. He reached out his hands to help them to their feet, patient as they struggled to find the strength to stand.

“Don’t worry,” said the blonde man. “I won’t press for details till you boys get some sleep and some gruel. Nora will take you down to the galley.” The first mate was a woman? That was… unusual. “If you need anything, shout for Captain Baker, your dashing host and yours truly. Welcome aboard the _Fallen Angel.”_

A week passed, and no one so much as raised their voice to Miles and Bass. Captain Baker let them recover below decks as long as they needed to, and his first mate, Nora, brought them three steaming mugs of grog a day. Even when she walked in on them passionately celebrating their rescue, she said nothing.

“I could get used to this,” Miles panted against his love’s mouth when she’d set the two mugs beside them. “I mean, did you see the way she looked at us? We’re lying here making out and she was smiling at us.” And not in the way Strausser always had, either.

“Miles,” Bass answered. He lay under Miles, shirtless, with his hair mussed and his eyes clouded with need. “If my trousers are still on in the next thirty seconds, I’m throwing you overboard. Yeah, it’s great here. Baker’s not an ass. Now can you do something better with your mouth, please?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Miles said, rolling his eyes. He slithered down Bass’s body. “I promised you we’d get somewhere better, didn’t I?”

“I love it when you’re right,” Bass affirmed. Miles’ mouth closed around his cock, and all rational thought vanished.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song [Gay Pirates by Cosmo Jarvis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4tkCfSBM28), which has been my dream AU for quite a while now. I mean, the narrator's boyfriend's name is Sebastian and Revolution was made for pirate AUs. You don't even know bruh.


End file.
